The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday, June 24, edition that as trade talks with Washington continue, Lana Payne, head of Canada's largest private-sector union Unifor, asserts that Canada must not accept any deal imposing tariffs on automobiles. The Globe's Eric Atkins writes that she warns that U.S. President Donald Trump's 25-per-cent tariffs on imported cars threaten Canadian automotive plants with production cuts, job losses and potential permanent shutdowns unless negotiators find a solution.
Ms. Payne said: "There's always the concern if we're in a place where the tariffs continue and we're unable to get to an agreement with the United States, then every [automotive] facility in Canada becomes vulnerable. That's the problem." She said zero tariffs are the only acceptable resolution if Canada wants to protect its auto industry from being forced out by unfavourable costs. She said: "We cannot get into a situation where a deal includes normalization of tariffs in the auto industry, because that will result in one thing and one thing only, and it'll be a slow bleed of investment from our country. We will wake up one day in which we will have a much diminished industry in Canada, if one at all."
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